So... do you play fighting games?
You might say "we" play them on a different level.

Is fighting your favorite genre of video gaming?
Now we're talkin'... you've come to the right place.

Can you still "take names" in a fighting game or two?
the real question is... in how many different games?



Do you embrace the "Artistic Side" of fighting games?
Enough with all the "pro gamer talk"... there's more to it than counting frames.

Are you an artist, cosplayer, or simply an admirer of fighting game lore?
You'll find what you're looking for at TFG... and then some.

In search of the best fighting game artwork and/or animations?
 Add TFG to your "Favorites" immediately. You'll thank me later.

Fighting and art are one in the same.
You must study both to become a true master.

Are you a martial artist or inspired by real life martial arts?
The fighting spirit is here... Beauty, Honor, and Ass-Kicking.

Do you respect the beauty and diversity of authentic martial arts styles?
Our favorite personas of the fighting genre represent what we love.
 

 
Are you new to fighting games and eager to learn more?
There's a long journey ahead... and TFG is a great place to start.

Want to learn more about fighting games & characters?
TFG has you covered... Everything you need to know is here.

And if you're a true fighting game enthusiast. . .
WELCOME HOME.

The Fighters Generation is a graphics intensive site...
Best viewed in 1440 x 900 (widescreen) or higher, with a speedy PC.

Best browsed with the latest version of Mozilla Firefox.
Also now fully compatible with most smartphones & mobile devices.

Be sure to have the following fonts installed to properly view the site:
Calibri, Century Gothic, Courier New & Vernada.

 

THE WEBMASTER

Allow me to introduce myself.... The name's Frank. I am the founder and webmaster of The Fighters Generation. This domain has certainly come a long way since the year 2000, and it's been a joy working on the site for the last 12 years. The "art of fighting" has always been a big part of my life, and I'm sure my timeless infatuation with fighting games, martial arts, and artwork is made very clear through my years of dedication to this website. I want to thank everyone who has visited and supported TFG over the years, as well as the many contributors who've helped make this site awesome... I couldn't have kept it going for so long without your help. Even though I am the webmaster around here, I don't refer to TFG as "my" website. Let's be clear: TFG was created for all the true fans and players of fighting games, and to ensure that fighting games are respected as more than just "video games".
 

Frank & Jet with Katsuhiro Harada of Namco Bandai, the creator of Tekken! CEO 2011.

Frank, Jet & Bruce Lee (wax statue). Hong Kong 2010.

Hong Kong. 2010.

Megacon 2007.

My favorite food.

To tell you a little bit more about myself, I'd like to start from the very beginning... because I've actually been a gamer ever since I can remember. For starters, I began confidently using a computer when I was 3 years old (1986). I played and loved a lot of old school 80's classics. My first "fighting games" were Commodore & Amiga versions of International Karate & Yie Ar Kung Fu. (Karate Champ was for noobs.) I also hit up the thriving local arcades regularly ever since I could walk, and constantly begged my parents to drive me to shopping malls just to go to the arcades (and maybe the food courts too). I do miss the smell of mall arcades... it's a one-of-a-kind-smell. It was in those 80's/early 90's arcades where I fell in love with games like Street Fighter, Street Fighter 2, Final Fight, Samurai Shodown, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and many others. Since I got a such an early start at the arcade scene, I even used to have to stand on a milk crate to properly reach the controls (and manage to see the screen). Thankfully, I grew after a while and was able to reach them on my own... it was a proud day for me. lol.
 

Me (8 years old) with Mom, playin SF2:CE. 1992.

New York. 2013.

Chillin' at my house (jk). 2012.

I'm a lucky guy. <3 She's a gamer too. 2012.

Ron, Shelly & Frank. Serious/sexy pic. 2009.

Since pretty much all I did when I was a kid was draw and play video games, I actually brought solid competition to the arcade. I was known to rack up some impressive win streaks for a 7 year old, and I found certain joy in sending guys three times my size back to the token machine... heh. I also started Karate at that age, just in case anyone decided to mess with me after I kicked their ass in SF2... but no, I never had to "K.O." anyone for real. ;) Even at such a young age, fighting games soon became my favorite genre of gaming due to their competitive nature, the ever-increasing high level of competition, and their popularity among gamers in arcades of my generation. And like many others, I never really took a break from playing (in rebellion to what those silly manuals say). Now, at the age of 29, you can appropriately call me a fighting game connoisseur & critic. I still love my fighting games, and I don't think I'll ever be able to stop. For the record, I love both 2D and 3D fighters alike. I also enjoy many other genres of gaming, but fighting will always be my first love.



  When I created this website over a decade ago, I soon realized that I wasn't the only person with such a deep passion for fighting games... it's more than entertainment, more than a hobby, and much more than "just a game". It's something hard to describe really. Gamers who were frequent to arcades in the early 90's, where the rise of the fighting genre began in arcades around the world, are the ORIGINAL GENERATION of fighting game players. Those of us in The Fighters Generation can remember how kids and adults used to fill the arcades, the better of us hovering around the hottest fighting game waiting to test out the competition (and the best of us racking up those insane win streaks). No other gaming genre brought that type of crowd or made that kind of impact at the time. It was a phenomenon. Fighting games also brought life back into struggling arcades in the early-mid 90's. Even though arcades have sadly diminished over the years (especially here in the USA), the fighting genre is still very much alive and kicking today, thanks to the loyal fans around the world, the timeless games & characters that we know and love, and the companies behind them. Thanks to our passion... fighting games have practically become "mainstream" again!

Since its arrival, the fighting genre has been a leader and a prominent influence in the now billion dollar video game industry. The character designs and gameplay elements within fighting games have been huge inspirations to countless other franchises and gaming genres out there, and have also exceeded themselves well beyond video games... just look at all the horribly bad Hollywood movies they made, and let's not forget about the dummies who blamed violent behavior on games like Mortal Kombat in the 90's. There's no doubt that fighting games made a momentous dent in video game history, and history has repeated itself time & time again. Regardless where you're from or what language you speak, TFG is your #1 resource to reminisce and reflect on the history & evolution of fighting games, and also to keep up to date with what's HOT in the genre!

First and foremost, The Fighters Generation embraces the "artistic" side of fighting games. As a casual sketch artist, I've always been greatly inspired by character design. If you're acquainted with the top fighting game franchises, you'd know that the storylines, artwork & visual designs of the characters can be deeply inspiring in a variety of ways. Let's face it, not everyone can appreciate what "good" art is these days. Contrary to what some may believe, fighting games easily qualify as "works of art"... not only because of the intricate and clever game designs themselves, but due to the countless 2D artworks, 3D renders & animations that were created from scratch by amazingly talented artists. On that note, the true credit behind TFG's visual content goes to the master artists who are responsible for some of the most inspiring and amazing video game artwork of all time... just to name a few: Bengus, Akiman, Shinkiro, Edayan, Takuji Kawano, Kinu Nishimura, Daigo Ikeno, Falcoon, Nona, Eiji Shiroi and Daisuke Ishiwatari! In case you don't know, the original purpose behind this website (11 years ago) was to proudly and respectfully showcase the very underrated, but fan loved artwork of fighting games. If it weren't for the artists I just mentioned, TFG certainly would not be here. The preceding artists will always have our deepest respect and admiration.

Fighting is art.

 If you don't believe "Fighting Games = Art," this website will change your mind. Here at TFG, you'll find a plethora of high quality official (and non-official) artwork for nearly every fighting game and fighting game character imaginable. I'm proud to say that TFG is the largest archive of its kind, and only continues to grow. Composing all of the "official" artwork for every fighting game character in existence... and proudly showcasing them in one faithful place, was one of my original goals with this website. TFG has proven to be an excellent tool & reference for professional artists and aspiring artists alike. A primary reason this website exists is to inspire and assist the many artists out there who appreciate this unique genre of artwork & character design. Any time I hear that an artist is using the site for reference, inspiration, or anything of the sort, I in turn become inspired and even more motivated to make TFG the best it can possibly be. Also worth mentioning are the professional cosplay models who use TFG for reference when designing their costumes! TFG doesn't only host the best (and highest quality) images that you'll find anywhere on the web, but also contains elaborate information, storylines and exclusive reviews for hundreds (upon hundreds) of characters and games!

As you may know, the top fighting games of the genre contain vivid reference to real martial arts styles. Personally being involved in martial arts for over 20 years (most of my life), the "art of fighting" is embedded deep in my blood. For martial artists like myself, there's truly nothing not to like about some of the classic (and new) fighting game characters that proudly display the beauty and personality behind countless different martial arts styles. Martial arts is and always will be a prominent part of my life... in fact, I teach martial arts for a living. I'm one of the lucky people out there who loves his job, and I really couldn't imagine doing anything else. I live for the science of fighting, and fighting games are more real to someone like me than most people could imagine. I've also met many others who appreciate martial arts and/or fighting games just as much as I do, and they never fail to inspire me.

If you happen to be a fellow martial artist that found your way onto this website, I humbly welcome you. In the long run, TFG is a tribute to the beauty & diversity of martial arts and the "spirit" of fighting. If fighting games didn't contain authentic martial arts, I never would've become interested in them... and this website wouldn't be here. Not only are fighting games becoming more realistic, more technical, and inspired by real martial arts & martial arts principles, but I believe fighting games are good for your mind. A quality fighting game brings two people together in a unique head-to-head battle that you really can't get anywhere else (besides actually sparring or being in a real fight of course!). Just like a real duel, a quality fighter is the ultimate test of mental concentration; requiring sharp reaction time, precise decisions, prediction of your opponent's movements, creativity, and pure skill in order to win. The "thinking game" involved in the top fighting games really does contain some of the same elements of a real fight. And yes, I do believe being a real-life martial artist gives me "an edge" in fighting games... I suppose over two decades of playing nearly every fighting game in existence probably helps too. :)



In closing, I didn't create this website to make money. Over a decade ago, I created TFG out of pure passion for fighting games... and to ensure that the fighting genre never dies, and its art, brilliance, and beauty is never overlooked. If you remember correctly, there was a time when fighting games weren't so abundant, and certainly weren't "front page" news. There was a time when many "gamers" out there were saying and repeating the words, "Fighting games are dead."... but TFG never wavered, and statements like that only further inspired me to make this the best fighting game website on the internet. The thousands of dedicated, competitive players also never wavered, and in turn, we've all contributed in making the fighting genre the success that it is today. We all play a part, and we will never stop.... LONG LIVE THE FIGHT.

Thanks for visiting TFG... LONG LIVE THE FIGHT.

 
                                   
                                                                    Frank "Mr. Yagami"